The Road Not Taken
by DiehardJavaJunkie14
Summary: Lorelai thought that the road she was on would lead her to Max, but after their breakup it all changes... where will the detour take her? Season 1 AU chapter story, eventually JavaJunkie.
1. Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

**A/N: Another chapter story! I'm getting inspired randomly. Anyway, this story is based on the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. This starts in "Paris is Burning", you'll immediately catch why it's AU. And I want to stress beforehand, I am a JavaJunkie through and through… but don't expect immediate Java-ness right away! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the dialogue from specific episodes that I borrow, and I don't own the rights to Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken". I own a copy of a book that said poem is in, and I own the Gilmore Girls DVD's. Separate, they get me squat, but together, they give me this: read on.**

Lorelai got a sudden chill as she stood in front of Max. Things just weren't the same anymore. Things weren't right. Max had just asked Lorelai if she was dumping him, they'd had a discussion about space, and he was coming closer. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, jerking back as he tried to kiss her. Lorelai shoved the copy of "Swann's Way" that she had borrowed into Max's chest and shook her head. "It's over, Max. I can't do this anymore."

"But you just said…"

"Max, I hate to pop your bubble and leave a sticky mess everywhere that can't be cleaned up without peanut butter. Or is it an ice cube? Anyway, that's beside the point, but we're done. It's not right," Lorelai insisted. "Goodbye."

Max raised his eyebrows. "Lorelai!" he called. "We can work this out."

Shaking her head, she fought some tears back. She knew she didn't love Max, but the idea of another failed relationship was getting to her. Lorelai was still in disbelief about what just happened. The two months got to her again. Sookie was right, as much as Lorelai hated it. For a moment, she stood frozen in front of a pleading Max, re-thinking her decision. She took one step forward and shook her head again, backing away. Brushing the tears off of her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt, she left the classroom and wandered the halls of Chilton to find Rory. Lorelai looked at her watch. Rory had mentioned something about lunch at this time, hadn't she?

Holding back tears once she thought even more about what she'd just given up, Lorelai followed a sea of blue plaid to the dining hall. She slipped into a seat next to Rory, who jumped when Lorelai appeared. "God, woman, you're going to make me jump out of my skin one of these days! Wait, have you been crying?"

Lorelai groaned. She reached into her purse and after some digging, found a compact mirror. Upon opening the mirror, she rolled her eyes. "God, it's that obvious? I need to learn to cover that up better."

"Mom, what happened?" Rory asked, grabbing the mirror from her mother's hand. She moved closer to Lorelai, shutting the mirror and dropping it back into Lorelai's purse.

Watching the mirror fall back among the multitude of lip glosses, receipts, and other miscellaneous items, Lorelai took a deep breath. "Careful with the mirror, there, kid, that's seven years of bad luck you'd be bringing upon yourself. You don't want that, now, do you?"

"Will you stop being so 'I'm going to beat around the bush' and start being more 'I should tell Rory what's wrong?'" Rory demanded, her arms crossed and her expression serious.

"Max and I broke up," Lorelai spat out.

Rory's expression softened and she hugged her mother. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"My feet were cold," Lorelai said, eyeing Rory's chocolate cake.

Rory handed the cake over and passed Lorelai a plastic fork. "Well, wear socks," she teased. "Mom, it's okay to have a committed relationship. You liked Max."

"And so did you," Lorelai pointed out.

Rory nodded. "We share a lot of likes. We like cheese, we like movies, we like shopping, and we also liked Max. All the more reason to warm up those piggy toes and dive right in."

"Look, sweets, I just… it wasn't right. Max wasn't a bad guy, but I got a feeling that I wasn't really in love with him. I was in love with the idea of being in love with him."

"Okay, Yogi Berra, start making some sense and then we'll talk," Rory teased.

Lorelai poked at the chocolate cake. "I'm fragile. I just broke up with my boyfriend, my emotional state is being called into question."

"Mom, I'm happy if you're happy. I liked Max, a lot, but if you're not happy, don't stay in it. Just… don't jump out because you got scared of having a long term relationship with someone. I liked him, too, if that wasn't made clear."

She shook her head. "No, sweets, I know you liked him. I just wanted it to be right. It wasn't right, and that's not fair to either one of you."

"Promise me you didn't do this because of me? I'm a big girl, I can handle a little change," Rory countered. "I know I keep expressing how much I liked Max, but you know, that's not a lie. I'm okay with you settling down, you deserve it."

Lorelai nodded. "You were a big girl before the Pull Ups, sweets, I know you can handle it. I'm just wondering how well I'm going to handle it. I've always been out on my own, and Sookie's right… the two month rule was always in my subconscious, I just needed it to be brought up by someone."

"How Freudian of you," Rory replied. "Are you going to eat that?"

Pushing the cake toward Rory again, Lorelai shook her head. "I don't want your pity cake, I'm going to get my own."

"Yeah, good luck reaching the front of the line in ten minutes," Rory said, looking at her watch.

Lorelai gasped. "They give you no time to digest this food!"

"You taught me to eat fast for a reason," Rory replied. "I could totally take the world hot dog champions in like, a second."

"Maybe that's your calling, then," Lorelai said with a wink.

Rory polished off the cake and discarded her tray. She headed toward her locker before stopping her mom in the hallway. "You've gotten over this breakup rather quickly," she noted. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't have to be. Because I have a French exam that I'd rather not take if you're in an emotionally unstable state to the point where I have to take you home."

"Well, I'm trying to hold it together for the sake of my sanity, and second, if it's not right, then it's not right, you can't change it," Lorelai pointed out. "And you are so like me with the French exam."

"You'd been planning this," Rory countered, switching out the books in her locker.

Lorelai peered into the locker mirror Rory had, adjusting a stray curl. "Planning what, letting you skip the French test? And you don't have a picture of Davy Jones in here?"

"Davy Jones ran off into the sunset with Marcia Brady," Rory said, scrunching up her nose. "At least, that's the alternate ending we created. And I meant the breakup with Max. It was planned all along, wasn't it?"

"No Nick Carter in here?" Lorelai replied.

Rory cringed. "God, no. Half the girls in the school have claimed him as their husband. He'll have to move somewhere far, far away to cater to the demands. And you're doing some mighty fine bush beating, ma'am."

"Rory, look. It wasn't right. I knew it wasn't right. It's really over, and I had to tell him it was. He almost pulled me back in, but I stood my ground," Lorelai explained. "If there was a world record for the amount of times one can say 'it wasn't right' in a day, I'm sure I'd be pretty damn close to eternal fame."

Rory nodded. "All right. So long as you know this isn't like the magic marker tattoos you used to make for me. This is the real thing, no going back."

"Permanent ink, I hear you, sweets."

"Now, come on, I have a few more classes and then a Franklin meeting," Rory insisted.

Lorelai gently banged her head against Rory's locker, looking for more of an effect than the actual sound. "Rory," she whined. "Paris scares me."

"You and me both," Rory snorted. "Come on, I'd rather not be late for French class."

"Au contraire, to be fashionably late in Paris is all the rage!"

"Come on, Franc, I hate to be the party pooper, but we're going to be early," Rory hissed, pulling Lorelai by the arm into a nearby classroom.

"Father of the Bride references always make me smile," Lorelai giggled, taking her arm back.

Lorelai sat in the corner of the room, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the French class Rory was forced to absorb. Instead, she began thinking about the direction in which her life had turned. She slipped deep into a train of thought, contemplating what would have happened if she had stayed with Max. What if she'd married him, had children with him? The thought was scary, let alone the actual process of adjusting to life with Max.

She watched as Rory flew through the quiz and then took notes in what Lorelai assumed was shorthand. Rory didn't look stressed at all, she looked perfectly comfortable and eager to learn. Lorelai smiled. She was jealous of Rory sometimes. Rory was a sponge, always willing to soak up new experiences, new people, and new things. And Lorelai was afraid of cold feet in a two month old relationship.

As Rory closed her notebook and placed it into her backpack, Lorelai walked out of the classroom, waiting to meet Rory in the hallway. Lorelai was in and out of her deep thinking stage throughout the day and when Rory finally assured Lorelai it was time for her to go, Lorelai practically ran to the Jeep.

"Whoa, slow down there, Speedy," Rory said, hopping into the passenger's seat. "Don't try and hide your excitement or anything."

"God, I would NOT want to pull a Freaky Friday with you," Lorelai insisted. "That would be rough. I didn't understand half of what the French teacher was DOING, let alone saying."

"She's fidgety," Rory explained as Lorelai pulled out into traffic. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Lorelai smiled. "More than okay, why?"

"You're lying. We need to treat you to Luke's. Or, I'll treat you and jet. I have that paper to write for Mr. Medina's class. And I did actually already start it, but I'm sure I'll change a lot of the arguments tonight when I talk myself out of the first ones I created," Rory explained.

"Well then that's no treat," Lorelai pouted. "The treater has to have dinner with the treatee in order for it to make any amount of difference."

"Come on, Mom, you'll enjoy a dinner at Luke's. You deserve it. You had a rough first day at Chilton," Rory teased.

Lorelai sighed. "You have no idea."

"I was in the lions' den once, too, you know, I remember how it was."

"Remember how long it's been since I was in high school?"

Rory shrugged. "Less time than a lot of the parents. Did you see that kid who sits in front of me in Western Civ? His dad's J. Howard Marshall old."

"That's not gross or anything," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes.

"Older than Grandpa," Rory continued. "Freaky."

"New subject, please," Lorelai begged.

"Paris saw the breakup between you and Max."

Lorelai groaned. "Great change in subject, Rory."

"You didn't say what we should change the subject to. But she did. And she spread it around, but people were too concerned with a 'Kick Me' sign on her back that they weren't paying attention," Rory explained. "They probably didn't know you were together in the first place."

"I put that there," Lorelai said with a wink. "The post it note? That was me."

Rory gasped. "You didn't!"

"I did the 'Oh, honey, I'm sorry I just bumped into you' bit, put my hand on her back and made sure she was okay, and then stuck the post it square between the shoulders," Lorelai admitted.

"You're quite the sneak," Rory added. "I have to admit, it was funny, but I don't live to torture Paris. Why can't we just get along?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Just ask Yoko and the Beatles that."

"Get out of the car, I'm taking it back home," Rory said, reaching into her backpack and handing Lorelai some money. "Enjoy Luke's, and ask him to put extra whipped cream on your breakup sundae."

"Fine," Lorelai said as she handed Rory the keys to the Jeep and slipped out the door, dropping the money in through the window and drawing a glare from Rory. She walked into a virtually empty Luke's and looked around. Picking the first empty table she saw, she put her head in her hands.

"Rough day?" Luke asked, pouring her coffee.

"If the coyote got blown up, shoved off a cliff, and hit with an anvil, this still wouldn't equal my day," Lorelai admitted.

"That bad, huh?"

Lorelai nodded. "Bad day of epic proportions."

"Should I bother asking what went wrong?" he asked.

"I broke it off with Rory's teacher. I did my two month dance, like Sookie said, and now I'm experiencing feelings of inadequacy, loss, and sudden loneliness. Those must be the side effects they don't tell you on the commercials," she mused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I can assure you that it sounds complicated," Luke replied.

Lorelai took a sip of the coffee. "More complicated than trying to read my own handwriting."

"Wow, that is bad, then," he teased.

Feigning offense, Lorelai put her head on the table. "No one seems to understand that my emotional state is very fragile tonight!"

"You're so overdramatic," Luke insisted.

She shot up in her seat, crossing her arms. "You're insensitive," she shot back.

Luke held up his hands, as if he were surrendering. "Sorry, I thought it was a bit."

She shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. I'm still getting over it. Sudden outbursts of hatred toward beloved coffee suppliers must be one of those unmentioned side effects."

"Well, I'm sure things will work out," he said. "What can I get you?"

"A grilled cheese, a cheeseburger, and macaroni and cheese," Lorelai rattled off, pausing for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that should do it. For now."

"Whatever you say," Luke insisted, bringing the order back to the kitchen.

Lorelai sipped her coffee, swirling it around in the cup as she put it down on the table. She was emotionally drained, and not even the coffee was making her feel better. Lorelai sighed, grabbing napkins from the nearby dispenser and folding them into various origami shapes. Luke returned a short while later with her food, awkwardly standing by the table and looking for room to place the plates.

"Meet Nora, Nancy, Ned, Nelly, Norbert, and Joe," Lorelai said, introducing Luke to her napkin swans.

"Why's the last one got a name that begins with J when the others have names that begin with N?" Luke asked.

"He's the sad and lonely outcast swan. The red-headed stepchild of swans. More Harry Potter-esque, or Cinderella. The other guys and gals don't like him until he becomes magical. Other than that, I haven't come up with a storyline yet," she said, shoving the napkin birds to the other side of the table to make room for Luke to put her plates.

"You've resorted to making napkin birds to pass your time?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Fragile emotional state, remember?"

"You're losing it," Luke declared, walking back behind the counter.

"I'm now single. You know how much breakups suck, even if you haven't had one in awhile. Which, by the way, you should be incredibly grateful for, because they cause a lot more stress than the movies lead on," Lorelai replied.

Luke shrugged. "Well, the connotation of the word itself pretty much expresses suckiness."

"It could be a good breakup," Lorelai mused. "What if the guy, or in your case, girl, cheated on you and you're like… ha! You're gone."

"I've never had such a liberating breakup," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai nodded. "They're usually referred to as something else, not really in the breakup category. Or that's what I've heard. I've only had one of those liberating kinds, and it was a long time ago."

"Maybe you can channel that, then, and stop sitting here depressed in my diner," Luke suggested.

"Doesn't matter if I'm depressed or chipper, I'm paying," Lorelai replied.

"You know, sometimes I wish I charged for refills. Between you and Rory alone, I'd be able to practically double the capacity of the diner," he mused.

Lorelai gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"No, I wouldn't. Too much work," Luke replied. "I'd have to hire more wait staff, and that makes less profit."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not very sympathetic to my newly single state. I thought I warned you about that."

"Not my job. My job is to feed you and supply you with your liquid death. That's it," he insisted, crossing his arms. "Now do you need anything else before I start closing up?"

"No, I'm good, as long as you can give me a doggy bag to bring some of this home to Rory."

Luke nodded. "I can do that," he said, walking into the kitchen.

Lorelai watched as he turned off the various appliances in the back. "Hey, Luke?" she called.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you think I'm capable of maintaining a long term relationship?"

Luke walked back from around the counter, adjusting his hat. "What possessed you to ask me that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you know me pretty well. Do you think I'll ever be able to fully commit myself to someone? Like 'until death do us part' commitment?"

"Do you want to commit yourself like that?" Luke asked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I know your opinions on marriage. I hear the speech every time you hear wedding bells at the church. 'No two people are made for only each other.' I think it's crap, Luke. Everyone wants that one person they can trust and be with for the rest of their life. That someone who's going to be there for you, but also love you like no one else can, forever. The person you trust to be the other parent to your future child. I want the whole package, Luke, but I'm always falling short of finding the guy to complete it. So, in short, I think your 'I hate marriage' speech is all a front and you want it too."

"If you want it bad enough, you'll find him," Luke replied.

"Be honest with me? Do you want the whole package? I know you're beating around the bush on answering the question," she insisted, watching as Luke sat down across from her.

Luke sighed. "I don't want it just for the sake of getting it."

"But do you want it, at all?" Lorelai asked.

He shrugged. "It would have to be someone I really, really cared about. Then I'd think about it some more."

"Hm. Interesting," Lorelai replied, taking a bite of her macaroni and cheese.

"What?" Luke snarled.

"That you'd consider it for the right person," she replied.

"Yeah, well, I'm not as hermit-like as you paint me to be," he ranted. "Everyone thinks I'm made of stone and that I'm incapable of loving someone."

"Well, you just never…"

Luke sighed. "I keep my personal life as my personal life. I've been in relationships. They've just never been right, okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "O-kay," she said hesitantly. "Sorry to upset you, I know the 'not right' feeling, I've been trying to explain it to the world all day today."

"You didn't upset me."

She shook her head. "You know, it's hard to tell sometimes."

"I am quite the man of mystery. Sucks about your breakup," Luke said, getting up and helping Lorelai to put some of the food into containers.

"Yeah, it does. It'll be okay," Lorelai said.

"You don't really sound as upset as you were earlier," Luke pointed out.

She shrugged. "If you have faith in me, of all people, then I think I'll be okay."

"What makes you believe me?" he countered.

"Huh?" she asked.

"What if I was lying?"

She rolled her eyes and took the bags from Luke. "Jerk. I'm never coming here for coffee, ever again. I'll find somewhere else to take my business. I'm serious, now, your head is very, very far up your ass."

"See you tomorrow morning," Luke said, cleaning off the table Lorelai had vacated.

"Regular time," Lorelai replied, opening the door to the diner and starting the walk back home.


	2. I Could Not Travel Both

**A/N: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed, and thank you to R.M. Jackson for the beta. Without your metaphorical pom poms (and foam fingers, in Reggie's case), this story would be merely a plot bunny. Thanks for your support, and your feedback is greatly appreciated!**

* * *

That Friday morning, Lorelai arrived at the inn after trading her usual day off with another manager, just so she could avoid the question of Parents' Day from Sookie. Lorelai knew she wouldn't be able to handle it without a rant, or without hearing the 'two months' theory once again. She thought that Friday would be a good day to get back to work with minimal questions and in turn, a much better disposition.

"You know, Sookie, if it rained coffee, my life would be complete," Lorelai mused, walking into the kitchen at the inn and grabbing a coffee mug. She kept her distance from her scatterbrained and accident prone friend, as Sookie was wielding a knife to chop some celery for the day's soup. "I'd be outside, just lying on the ground with my mouth open and waiting for the clouds to release some liquid gold. It's almost like that Shel Silverstein poem, but I'm not lazy, I'm just a coffee addict. Not as fun of a poem as 'Lazy Jane' but it will do. Is there coffee to fill this mug, or are you going to just let me ramble all day?"

"I just made a fresh pot, you're in luck," Sookie answered without looking up from what she was doing. "How was Parents' Day?"

Lorelai groaned. She'd thought of some clever answers to reply to Sookie's inevitable question. She had made a list of movie references to come up with the best response while she played hooky the previous day. "To quote R.E.M., it was the end of my world as I knew it."

"You broke up," Sookie said sympathetically. "You must be absolutely devastated."

"And I feel fine. Jeez, Sook, let me finish the quote, will ya?" she teased. "And how did you know?"

Sookie put the knife down and put her hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "Rory may have mentioned it in passing on her way to school this morning. I'm really sorry, honey."

"Sookie, I'm fine. Really. Just another excuse for me to buy myself a new pair of shoes and a new dress and get myself back on the market, if you will. Only I'm in the market for the RIGHT guy this time," Lorelai insisted.

"Well, I can help," Sookie started, putting down the knife and brushing her hands together to remove remaining celery chunks.

"You have your own dating service, don't you? You hide the men in the cabinets. They're there right now, as we speak. If I opened them, there would be one in that cabinet, and that one, and those over there. They check me out, it's very stalker-ish. More like a secret spy operation," Lorelai teased, pouring herself a cup of coffee and placing the pot back where she found it.

Sookie grinned. "Well, uh, I don't want to rub in your lack of love life," she started. "But I was thinking."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Just tell me, Sook."

"Okay, well… on an unrelated tangent, before I forget to tell you, Jackson called."

Looking at the excitement on Sookie's face, Lorelai knew that the outcome was good. Taking a sip of coffee, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "He called! How exciting. When are you guys going out? Do you know where you're going to go?"

Sookie put down the knife and grabbed a wooden spoon. She walked over to the soup, stirred it for a moment, and looked back at Lorelai. "Tonight," she said with a smile. "I'm not sure where he's going to take us. He's got this element of surprise going for him, it's adorable and it's driving me nuts."

"How excited are you? You have that 'Publishers Clearing House just came and gave me a giant cardboard check' look on your face," Lorelai pointed out. She took another sip of coffee, trying to let Sookie know that she was surviving the breakup with Max by being as supportive and interested as possible.

Dropping the spoon into the pot, Sookie turned around. She giggled, tugging at one of her band-aids. "I am too happy for words," she started. "I mean, I've known Jackson for so long now, that it really doesn't seem weird at all. Not even the slightest bit."

"Not even a smidge?"

"Not even a half of a smidge," Sookie continued. She let out a sigh and pressed her hand to her mouth. "Okay, I'm rubbing it in now. I need to learn when to stop, I'm sorry."

Lorelai put her hand on Sookie's shoulder. "You have just as much of a right to be happy as I do to be sad. And just because things didn't work out between me and Max, that doesn't mean that you have to treat me like I'm broken."

Sookie smiled. Gasping, she turned around and stirred the soup once again. She craned her neck to see Lorelai and stir the soup at the same time, and continued to talk. "I'm going to have to tell you all about it, so I guess I'll have to take notes!"

"I'm glad you're excited," Lorelai mused, absently clicking her heel against the floor. "So what were you thinking before when you said you could help?"

Pouring the chopped celery into the soup, she shook her head. "Never mind. It wasn't important anyway."

"Tell me," Lorelai pleaded. "You can't just sit there, tease me with the thought of how to find the perfect man, and then just leave me hanging with no answer."

Sookie sighed. "Maybe if you stop doing the two month dance…" she said sweetly.

Lorelai groaned. "I know the two months thing, Sook. I've tried ignoring it. It's there, mocking me like my metaphorical devil-angel battle on my two shoulders."

"Well, honey, try taking it one day at a time instead," Sookie replied. "And besides, maybe if it's the right guy, you won't pay attention to how long it's been."

"Whatever you say," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes and leaning against the counter. "Did the Thompsons get their menu to you?"

Sookie shook her head. "No, and their party's next week, and I'm starting to stress out about it, too. So if they call you, will you do something about it for me?"

"Should I threaten bodily harm or revocation of their reservation?" Lorelai teased.

"Well, I'd try something less extreme, we want them to have their party here," Sookie replied, lifting the soup spoon to her lips and tasting it. She grinned and tossed the soup spoon in the sink, nearly hitting a member of the wait staff in the process. "And they're paying a hell of a lot of money for such an event. Let me know what happens. And if you need to talk about this whole Max thing…"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sookie, I'm fine."

"You got it, dude. Go make sure Michel isn't taking a sledge hammer to the front desk," she said, shooing Lorelai out of the kitchen.

When Lorelai walked out to the front desk, Michel immediately closed an internet window and busied himself with inn related work. "The Thompsons called to confirm their menu, this is what they wanted," Michel said, his French accent becoming thicker as he became more flustered.

"Thanks, Michel, bring it to Sookie," Lorelai said, not bothering to approach Michel about the suspicious activity she had walked in on.

Michel quickly left the room, leaving Lorelai at the desk. Looking at the computer screen, she pulled up the window that Michel had minimized and let out a squeak. It was Michel's profile page of an online dating service website. She clicked out of it and remembered to make a mental note of the situation to mock Michel when she had more energy to do so.

She sighed. Dating seemed to be thrown in her face since she ended it with Max. It always happened like that. After she broke up with someone she became conscious of it, and she always felt stupid. It wasn't something that was purposely brought up, and it wasn't something that people did to torture her, but it just happened to be more noticeable after a breakup.

Rolling her eyes, she reached for the phone. She was in serious need of some comfort food and a mother daughter night to feel somewhat sane again. Sure, she was skeptical as to whether the Max thing was going to work out or not, but she still felt a little lost after dating someone for any period of time and not going out with them anymore. This was where her 'feeling lost' had started to kick in.

She quickly dialed Rory's cell phone number and held the phone to her ear, waiting impatiently for Rory to pick up. "Mom, I'm in the middle of a study group," Rory answered.

"Want me to stop by Doose's on the way home so tonight can be an extra special movie night?" Lorelai asked, trying to make the idea sound interesting to Rory.

"I hate to rain on this lovely parade, but I have three exams tomorrow," Rory replied.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to be so school oriented and smart? Why couldn't you just stumble across a suitcase full of money, make us both really rich, and go party so the paparazzi follows us to the point when we're offered millions to model?"

"Or I could just rob a bank," Rory proposed. "Mom, I'm sorry, are you in a wallowing mood?"

"No, I don't need to wallow, I'm in the post relationship funk. You know, the 'everyone's mocking me and noticing that I don't have someone' stage."

Rory sighed. "I'm so sorry, Mom, go to Luke's… I'm sure you can convince him to feed you something artery clogging and delicious at the same time."

Lorelai put her hand to her forehead. "Yeah, I'm sure he will."

"I'll be home late, the Chilton library is open 24-7 all this week for exams," Rory replied. "And then I'm going to the movies with Lane and Dean."

"Fine, study hard, and mock the movie like Mommy taught you," Lorelai replied. "Did you get food?"

Rory laughed. "We ordered pizza and Paris refused to tip the delivery guy because he was thirty seconds late."

"Hopefully he didn't spit on your pizza," Lorelai grumbled.

"Oh, she waited until she shoved them into my hand to decide whether or not to give him more," Rory explained.

Lorelai nodded. "Have a good night, I'll see you later. Don't burn yourself out."

"Bye, Mom," Rory replied.

Lorelai placed the phone on the desk, taking a seat behind the counter for a few moments before deciding it was perfectly okay to leave. She left a list of the things that needed to be done before the night was over and taped it to the computer monitor before walking out of the inn. She opened the door to the Jeep and put her head on the steering wheel, letting out a groan.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" she asked out loud. "You're acting pathetic. Go eat some food and shake it off, Gilmore."

She made her way to the Crap Shack and parked the Jeep. She fumbled in her purse for her keys as her stomach growled. She sighed. Hopefully there was something for her to eat in the refrigerator from one of the week's takeout nights. She opened the front door, dropped her purse on the couch, and walked into the kitchen, throwing her jacket onto the nearest chair. Opening the refrigerator, she stood in front of it, allowing the cold air to blow on her for several minutes as she stared at the empty shelves. Surely she was wasting energy, but her post-relationship funk was getting to her. The o-zone layer could wait for her to get some food.

Slamming the refrigerator door, she picked up her jacket, walked back into the living room to get her purse, and started the trip to Luke's. She had no patience to make something, no ingredients to do so if she had the patience, and Luke would surely still be there. Another venting session could be therapeutic if Luke wasn't in a particularly grumpy mood. She listened to the clicking of her heels on the pavement as she neared the diner. She got lost in her thoughts for a moment, feeling less and less tense as she neared the diner. As she opened the door, she let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't feeling frustrated or angry, and she was sure that the diner was just where she needed to be.

"Say, how about you put coffee in one of those giant Poland Spring bottles they use in the offices, and just give me a straw to drink it from?" Lorelai suggested, seating herself at the counter. She took off her jacket and gave Luke a smile as he reached for the coffee pot behind him.

"Where's Rory?" Luke asked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Studying. Making all the other kids jealous of how intelligent she is."

"She got midterms coming up or something?"

"Something to that effect, the library's open 24-7 all week," Lorelai said, grabbing the handle of the coffee mug and dragging it toward her.

"You must have something better to do tonight than to sit here and drink coffee," Luke replied.

"Actually, I don't. I have no commitments, I'm a vagrant wandering the streets looking for a purpose to exist today," she answered, taking a gulp of the coffee.

"So you decided to come here and share your eternal loneliness with me?" Luke confirmed.

"Because then I won't be lonely. I'll have some company. What's new, how's life, what's up, what's cooking…"

"You done yet?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "I didn't burn anyone's burgers today, so overall, things are going well."

"How are the Red Sox doing?" Lorelai asked.

"Do you care?" Luke shot back, taking a dish towel and wiping the counter clean.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Of course not, I'm just trying to make conversation."

"You must be extremely bored to be talking about baseball," he replied.

She took another sip of coffee and placed the mug down on the counter. Letting out a sigh, she smoothed out her skirt and tucked a hair behind her ear. "Uh, so, Sookie and Jackson are going out on their first official date tonight."

"Are they?" Luke replied, seemingly uninterested.

"Not that I'm not happy for Sookie, I mean, she's my best friend. But I'm just a little jealous of her today. Not going to do anything drastic, I just feel like… I don't know, that the world is pointing and laughing at me for letting Max go."

"The world is pointing and laughing at you?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. "It's like everyone I know has a relationship, or is looking for one, and today, it seems more obvious than ever. Is that weird? It's like when you're tight on money for the month, all the good stores seem to be having sales and it's almost taunting you, saying 'you can't spend any money, but we're going to have a sale for all the people that can'."

"You're just more conscious of it," Luke replied.

She nodded in affirmation. "Exactly my point."

"What?" Luke asked.

"See, because I can't have it, it's already on my mind more, and I notice it more when other people have it. Then I get grumbly and jealous, and perky Lorelai goes on vacation."

"Why don't you ignore it?" Luke replied. "Do something productive with your life."

"I don't want to do something productive to fill my time, I want to feel normal, like everyone's not mocking me about it," she explained.

Luke put down the dish rag. "So that means that you've come here to have me help you feel normal again?"

"Well, a cheeseburger and fries would help me start to feel normal-ish again," she replied, taking another sip of the coffee Luke had poured a few minutes earlier. Luke went into the kitchen to start making her order.

She tapped her fingernails on the counter, amused by the sound it made. After about five minutes had passed, Lorelai had progressed to tapping to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and the Ghostbusters theme. Luke emerged from the kitchen with her food, and Lorelai practically grabbed her plate from Luke's hand.

"Careful," Luke warned. "It's hot."

"I'm just so in the need for comfort food, you know?" she asked, shoving a bite of cheeseburger in her mouth.

"Sure," Luke replied, shaking his head and walking around the counter to clean off the empty tables.

Lorelai quickly polished off the cheeseburger and fries, sipping the last of her coffee and watching as Luke poured a refill. She grinned. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Luke replied. "So I'm guessing by the speech that you're still working on getting over the breakup?"

She nodded. "It's not one of those things that just… you know, works out. I can't have both, Luke."

"Both of what?"

"You know, I can't seem to keep that spark with someone, and then make things work out. I can't put two and two together and make things work out. See, with half the guys I've dated, I lose the spark. Things start to get boring and I want out. With the other half, the spark stays, but I go. I chicken out at about the two month mark because I can't take the commitment. I start worrying about whether or not it's right."

"Well, if it's the right person, you wouldn't have to worry about either of those things," Luke started.

Lorelai snorted. "Sookie told me the same thing. I just hate how I can't seem to find that right person. It's frustrating. I'm LOOKING and I can't find him, he's there, somewhere, laughing, saying 'come on, Lorelai, I'm right here,' but I can't find him."

"You'll find him," Luke replied. "You'll find him."

"Sometimes I wish people would make important life decisions for me," Lorelai replied. "Not even really make them for me, just point me in the direction of some sort of answer, you know? Neon lights, possibly a disco ball?"

Luke nodded, returning the dishtowel to its place behind the counter. "I get it."

"Okay, so do something to distract me from wallowing in my own self pity," Lorelai insisted, banging her hands on the counter.

"Like what?" Luke asked.

She shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. "I'm not sure, you're the provider here, I just sit and take it all in."

"I'm not going to perform a karaoke show for you," Luke replied.

Laughing, Lorelai put the mug down on the counter again. "Truth or dare?"

"What?" Luke replied.

"Pick one," Lorelai answered.

"I'm not playing truth or dare. Why would I play that stupid game?" Luke asked.

Lorelai laughed. "Tic-tac-toe, then?"

"Why do you feel the need to have me entertain you?" Luke asked, crossing his arms.

"In case you haven't caught on already, I'm a sad and lonely single woman now, I need someone to spend my time with, because my daughter is busy making Harvard University recruiters proud," she replied, tugging at the sleeve of her sweater.

"I'm not your entertainment chairman," Luke grumbled. "I'm required to feed you. What gave you the idea that I was required to do otherwise?"

"Aw, Luke, don't get grouchy on me, I came here because I knew you'd make me food to cheer me up. But now you're putting me back in my stupid post-Max funk and I'm sad. You weren't supposed to make me sad!"

"I'm not trying to," Luke replied. "I'm just confused as to what you're here for."

Lorelai nodded. "I just figured you'd be good company."

"Why am I letting you torture me?" Luke replied.

She shrugged. "Because you feel bad for me? You always let me torture you."

"Okay, fine, what do you want me to do?" Luke asked.

"Finally managed to get the hint, huh?"

Luke picked up the dish towel again, wringing it in his hands. "Hey, now, if you're going to criticize, I'm quitting."

She giggled at the good-natured way he replied to her teasing. He wasn't entirely annoyed with her, he was actually pleasant company. Letting out a sigh, she picked at the chipping paint on her mug. "I don't know, I just like hanging out with you. There's rarely a time when I don't like talking to you."

"Well, good," Luke replied. "You know, we should… do this again sometime."

"What, sit here and banter back and forth? Gladly, I'll bring some nail polish for you next time," she teased, reaching for her purse. "We can bond some more."

"No, uh," Luke replied, his head turning to the doorway as Mrs. Kim barged in.

"Mrs. Kim, hi," Lorelai said with a smile.

"You need to come now," Mrs. Kim insisted, grabbing Lorelai by the arm.

"What, what happened?"

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Kim?" Luke asked, taking Lorelai's empty coffee mug.

Mrs. Kim responded by rambling incoherently about Lane, Rory, and where they were. Lorelai gave Luke an apologetic smile as she was pulled out of the diner, trying her hardest to pay attention to Mrs. Kim's concerns and process what had just happened in the diner at the same time. Luke was about to ask Lorelai out, and she knew it. She groaned. She knew she was subtly flirting, but she did that all the time. Had he picked up on it? Of course he had picked up on it, he was about to ask her to dinner or something.

Lorelai wasn't over Max, and she wasn't ready to jump right into a relationship with Luke, especially a relationship that probably wouldn't have existed had she not been subconsciously flirting anyway. Lorelai tried to shake off the moment she just had in the diner. Luke was LUKE. There was nothing there, it would never work out. She shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind, vowing to get some closure the next day at the diner as she listened to Mrs. Kim. Maybe she was just going crazy.


	3. And Be One Traveler Long I Stood

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's reading and reviewing. It was said in the first chapter, but I wanted to make sure that I covered all my bases. I do not own Gilmore Girls. I have borrowed some dialogue from "That Damn Donna Reed" that is not mine. I have used similar scenarios presented in season one, also not mine! No copyright infringement intended… I have nothing to give you, so I'm not even worth suing. Enjoy the chapter.**

**(And thanks to R.M. Jackson for the beta. I owe you some Mike's garlic bread.)**

* * *

Lorelai and Rory sat on the couch at the Crap Shack, watching whatever show that was on. Neither could find the remote, but neither wanted to look for it, so the documentary about spider bites was the night's entertainment. Out of the corner of her eye, Lorelai could see Rory sitting on the couch, her knees huddled to her chest.

"I'm so sorry," Rory blurted out.

"We've been through this, Rory, you get a free pass on this one. A golden ticket, a free tote bag with your purchase, free parking in Monopoly, if you will. Just don't do it again. Your guilt trip is enough punishment for the two of us," she said, raising her eyebrows and producing the remote from behind a throw pillow she had been leaning on.

"Okay, thank god you found that," Rory said, letting out a sigh of relief. She leaned back against the arm of the couch. "If I had to see one more disgusting spider bite, I would have clawed my own eyes out."

"Before getting up to change the channel, wow, that's determination," Lorelai replied, leaning back and beginning to browse through the choices of television programming they had for the night. She pressed the 'up' button on the remote, not really paying attention to what she was looking for, as she thought about what happened in the diner earlier that evening. Dropping the remote beside her, she turned to face Rory.

"Wow, COPS?" Rory asked. "I mean, I'm a definite fan of mocking the guy who got caught in a big rig dressed in a leopard leotard, but you and I never watch this unless there's nothing else on."

Lorelai fished the remote out of the crack between the couch cushions. She turned the television off, took the ponytail out of her hair, and turned to Rory. "I was hoping that leopard suit man would be on, but it's just the guy who wants the cop to do his eyebrows, I'm rather disappointed myself. So, I was in the diner tonight when Mrs. Kim had a panic attack."

"Is now when I get punished?" Rory asked. "I know plenty of behavioral psychologists that wouldn't agree."

"First of all, how many of them are actually living to contest my methods? Second, I'm not punishing you. It's not all about you, Rory," Lorelai said with a smirk.

Rory nodded. "Okay, continue."

"I went to the diner, like you suggested. Luke and I got to talking, and we were having a usual Luke-Lorelai conversation. Lots of 'why am I doing this?' and 'because you can't say no to me' and the like."

As she reached up to scratch her shoulder, Rory's expression of curiosity became one of confusion. "What in the world does this have to do with me?" she asked.

"Well, I want your opinion," Lorelai continued. "We were talking, and Luke said something like 'we should do this again.' I came back with a comment about bringing nail polish next time…"

"I'm sure Luke would go for that one," Rory said with a giggle.

"And when he started to explain, it hit me that maybe he was trying to ask me on a date," Lorelai said, gesturing with her hands to express the importance of the word 'date.'

Rory straightened up. "Huh. Interesting."

"That's all you have to say? Have I taught you nothing?" Lorelai asked, tucking her left leg underneath her.

"You think he would have asked you on a date?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Sure sounded like it. He wasn't asking me if I wanted fries with my cheeseburger."

"But you just broke up with Max," Rory continued, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Like, two days ago. You're still processing this."

"Of course I am," Lorelai replied. "I think it's because I'm more aware of everything at an inopportune time. Like when you have a cold and someone asks you to smell a flower."

"Interesting metaphor," Rory said with a nod, looking down at her bare feet and wiggling her toes. "You really think Luke was trying to ask you out?"

Lorelai picked up the remote control. She slid the cover to the battery compartment in and out of it, trying to think of what she really wanted to say in response to Rory's question. This wasn't any guy she was talking about, it was Luke. She put the remote in her lap and shook her head. "Yes… no… I don't know. I think I'm going insane."

Rory smiled. "You're already there."

"Ha, ha," Lorelai said, dragging out her mock laugh and rolling her eyes. She took a sip of coffee from the chipped purple 'coffee addict' mug and placed it back on the table.

"Well, tomorrow, you should go back to the diner and check if things are normal. If things are normal, you're still in post-breakup mode. If he tries again, he's obviously interested. I'm still trying to comprehend this," Rory reasoned, downing some popcorn and licking her fingers.

"You and me both," Lorelai said, picking up the remote once again. "There's nothing on tonight."

"I know, I was thinking of crashing early," Rory replied. "I'm getting a headache."

Lorelai smiled. "Feel better, sweets."

"I will, goodnight," Rory said, leaning over to hug Lorelai before getting off the couch and walking to her room.

Lorelai sat on the couch, picking at the end of the throw pillow that the remote was hiding under. The TV was on, but she wasn't watching. Letting out a sigh, she shut off the TV and grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch. She curled up underneath it as she closed her eyes and willed the stinging feeling in her gut to go away. She hated breakups. The gnawing feeling in her stomach sealed the deal, she was single, and she was totally and completely aware of it. It was like her situation mocked her every time she closed her eyes.

Sometimes, she could see the breakup in slow motion in her dreams, hearing the sound the copy of Swann's Way made when she pushed it into Max's chest. Other times, Max's pained and confused expression was the focus of her post breakup nightmares. Either way, she hadn't slept well since the split, and she didn't anticipate a good night's sleep on night number two.

After a period of sleep interrupted by her discomfort, Lorelai opened her eyes the next morning to find her legs resting on the back of the couch, but she was facing the coffee table. Letting out a groan, she tilted her head from side to side, trying to get the stiff neck she had to go away. Lorelai squinted as she trudged into the kitchen, willing herself to find a coffee filter to make a pot of coffee. She rubbed her temples as she tried to focus on the whereabouts of the coffee filters instead of the breakup dream she just had.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Headed to Luke's this morning?" Rory asked, rubbing a towel through her wet hair.

"Mmmhm," Lorelai replied.

"Good. I'll be down in twenty minutes, I just need to blow dry my hair and grab my books," Rory replied, walking into her room.

Lorelai abandoned the search for the coffee filters and forced herself to get to her room and get dressed. Slowly, she opened her closet and pulled out the first appropriately matching outfit she could find. Lorelai knew that the day would be difficult; she was hardly conscious and a stiff neck did not help her focus. She ran the hairbrush through her hair, not bothering to put any product in it, brushed her teeth, put on some makeup, and headed downstairs to find Rory waiting by the door. She sat on the last stair, squinting her eyes in attempt to focus while she slipped her shoes on.

"Twenty minutes does not mean twenty six minutes," Rory teased, opening the door for Lorelai.

"I haven't had any coffee," Lorelai explained. "I fell asleep on the couch last night."

Rory nodded. "I saw you all sprawled out on the couch and wondered if it was a drunken attempt to be painted by Jack."

"Every time you watch that movie, Rory, it is the same. The ship will always sink, and you have no control over it," Lorelai explained. "Stopping the movie right after the only scene that Michel will watch does not mean that Jack and Rose will live forever."

"I'm stunned," Rory replied sarcastically. "You ruined my imaginary 'Jack and Rose spend the rest of their lives together' story."

Lorelai nodded. "Sorry to tell you this, but Santa Claus isn't real either."

"Mom, quit ruining every childhood dream I have in one conversation, will you?" Rory teased.

"The story of Jack and Rose isn't from your childhood," Lorelai pointed out.

"Okay, I need coffee," Rory said, opening the door to Luke's and picking a table. "And you need confirmation that this Luke thing is all in your imagination. Where is Luke?"

Lorelai glanced over at the counter, watching as Luke came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of pancakes. Her breath caught in her throat for a second when she saw Luke. Was she nervous? She shouldn't be nervous. Everything was going to be exactly as it was the days before. Luke was Luke, and she was simply being irrational.

He grabbed the pad of paper from the pocket of his jeans and removed the pen from behind his ear. "You ready to order?" he asked in his usual tone.

She glanced at Rory, who gave Luke an appreciative smile. "Coffee and pancakes, please," Rory said, placing a textbook on the table in front of her.

Luke looked to Lorelai. "Is this going to be another fight over who wants to order what at breakfast? Because you can't order what she orders, because that means you're copying her, but you thought of it first anyway, because you were born first?"

"You remember that fight incredibly well," Lorelai pointed out.

He crossed his arms. "It was yesterday," he explained, letting out a sigh.

Rory giggled. "She'll have the same, please."

Lorelai nodded, turning toward Luke. "It's okay for us to be the same today. I declare it mother daughter pancake bonding day."

"You're ridiculous," Luke grumbled, walking back toward the counter and disappearing into the kitchen.

Smiling, Lorelai walked up to the counter. She leaned on the counter, standing between two empty stools, grinning as Luke turned around. "Jeez, Lorelai, you scared the hell out of me!" he snapped.

She folded her hands and popped her right foot in the air. "I just wanted to thank you for last night. Sorry I was such a head case."

"You weren't a head case, you just need to find someone else to talk to," Luke insisted.

Lorelai sighed. "I would have talked to Rory, but she was too busy giving Mrs. Kim more reasons to hate me. I'll bet she has a list longer than Senator McCarthy's blacklisting in the 1950's. And she'll do more damage, too."

"She can be scary," Luke agreed.

"So, everything's cool? I feel bad for being pulled out of here so dramatically last night. While you were helping me. And I didn't thank you, so that's why I'm here."

"You're here to eat, the expression of gratitude was extra," Luke replied.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Nothing's genuine from me, it's all motivated by caffeine or junk food, I get it," she said sarcastically, sauntering back to her seat. Everything was slowly falling back into place. Things with Luke were normal, and she was able to concentrate on the post-Max healing process.

After some introspection, some sleepless nights, and the stage of acceptance, Lorelai was back in the game after awhile. Rory noticed the subtle improvements as time went on, and Lorelai was noticing changes herself. She walked into the inn on a cool Monday morning, stopping at the front desk.

"Michel," Lorelai replied. "I saw you minimize that window. While I'm sure your lack of social life is getting to you, it's not appropriate for you to be selling yourself as a sex object at work. Are we clear?"

"But I…"

"Michel, seriously, if you want to be objectified while you're at work, you're going to be working somewhere else, got it?"

"Yes, Lorelai, I understand," Michel grumbled, walking away from the desk and muttering under his breath in French.

Sookie emerged from the kitchen, wearing a grin on her face. "Hey, Lorelai, you're in early."

"Figured I'd get some work done and head home early. Actually, I'll stop by Luke's and meet Rory at home. Rory's got a meeting with Paris after school, so I'll bring her food. She'll definitely need it. What brings you out into the great foyer?"

Sookie smiled, patting Lorelai's arm. "You seem happy."

"Happy? About?" Lorelai asked, turning to grab the mail from her mailbox.

"Did you get a date?" Sookie questioned. "Or do you have someone in mind? You just seem happy for the first time in a little while."

"No, no dates here, unless it's living vicariously through the ladies who used too much hairspray on 'Love Connection'," Lorelai replied, putting the mail down and typing a password into the computer.

Sookie nodded. "Well, you're just… really cheery today."

"Just call me Sunshine," Lorelai replied with a laugh. "What's up, Sookie, what do you need?"

"Let me know if we get any order changes, we have those really indecisive psychologists booked for lunch today," Sookie insisted, making her way back into the kitchen.

The rest of the day was productive for Lorelai. She managed to book the inn for the entire month of May, hire a maid who was able to be on call during the weekends, and was able to set up a firewall to prevent Michel from accessing his dating profile at work.

Finally she decided that her first decently productive day since her breakup with Max was coming to an end. She grabbed her jacket and her purse, and drove to the diner to get some food for her and Rory.

Lorelai sat at the counter, putting her coat on the stool next to her. She looked around the diner to find no sign of Luke. As she listened to the noise coming from the kitchen, Lorelai was staring at a faded patch of paint on the wall. She smiled as Luke finally approached her, knowing exactly what to do to ensure that her productive day remained as such.

"So, coffee, a cheeseburger with extra cheese, chili fries, and a paint job on the diner," Lorelai insisted.

Luke wrote Lorelai's order down, but looked at her and rolled his eyes. "I'm not painting the diner."

"Aww, that's too bad," Lorelai replied. "You could write secret messages in the primer, and have people uncover them years and years from now, when Luke's is a site for archaeologists who love to dig up that kind of stuff."

"No," Luke barked back, pouring Lorelai some coffee.

Lorelai gave him a smile. "I'd even help you paint. It could be so much fun, you have no idea what you're missing out on. Plus, I'm sure Taylor would stop harassing you about it, and then you can hold it over his head that you did something to please him. No more fliers in the window battles."

"Great point, Lorelai," Kirk added from across the room.

"Shut up, Kirk," Luke replied, disappearing into the kitchen.

Lorelai turned to Kirk, who was carrying a notebook and a light-up pen with him, scribbling notes as he observed the interaction between Lorelai and Luke. "Kirk, what are you doing?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm writing down material that I find important to publish in my memoir," he replied, leaning back in his chair. He fell flat on his back, and sheepishly picked up the chair and sat down in it once again. "Is there anything you'd like to say on record, or should I change your name to protect your identity?"

Lorelai raised her eyebrows, turning to Kirk. "Why would I want my name changed to protect my identity?"

"I've gotten all the dirt about everyone," Kirk replied, placing the pen and the notebook on the counter. "You and Luke have a chapter."

Lorelai gulped the sip of coffee down, coughing as she took a breath and realized it had gone down the wrong way. Trying to ignore the burning feeling she felt from swallowing her coffee incorrectly, she looked to Kirk. "A joint chapter?"

"Well, you're together almost every day. A lot of your interactions have changed my life in one way or another. So I saw it fitting to add you into his chapter."

She coughed once more, taking a breath and laughing at herself for her coffee ordeal. "You'd put Luke and I into a chapter together, but not Rory?"

Kirk nodded. "Rory has been an influence to me in her own way."

"Here's your cheeseburger," Luke said, placing the plate in front of Lorelai.

She turned to face Luke, flashing him a smile. "Would you mind making one for Rory, too, to go? I'm taking it with me for when she gets back. Oh, and did you know that we're a part of Kirk's memoirs?"

"He asked to interview me earlier," Luke replied in an unenthusiastic tone.

"And I presume the interactions went wonderfully," Lorelai replied sarcastically, taking a bite of her cheeseburger. "So when do you want me to come by and help you paint?"

Luke shrugged. "How's Friday? After your dinner with your parents, I mean."

"Friday's great," Lorelai replied, shoving several chili fries into her mouth as she spoke. "Shouldn't we have a meeting first? You know, to decide paint colors, and whatnot?"

"I have some color samples upstairs. Taylor handed them to me one day and I never got a chance to throw them out."

Lorelai laughed. "Well, Taylor's good for something, isn't he?"

Kirk scurried out of the diner, leaving his half eaten dinner on the table. Luke grabbed the dishes and walked them back into the kitchen. "The amount of food that guy wastes could feed a starving country," he mused.

"Paint samples, mister," Lorelai said, pointing to the stairs that led up to Luke's apartment.

Luke walked upstairs and emerged a few moments later with a few rings of color samples. Lorelai let out a squeal as he dropped them in front of her on the counter. "Ah, look at this blue, you should paint the diner blue, it goes so well with your eyes," Lorelai teased.

"Or we can decide not to paint the diner at all," Luke suggested.

She sighed. "Fine. How about this color? It looks similar to the color you have on the walls now, but it's just a little brighter. Not a drastic change for you, the president of the 'I hate change' club."

"You're vice president," Luke said, taking the paint sample and analyzing it for a moment. "Looks fine to me."

"Unless you want to go funky in here, and then we can do this color," Lorelai said, waving a red square in Luke's face.

"Or, like I said, we can leave it just the way it is," Luke repeated.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll mark the back of it for you so when you pick up the paint you won't forget which to order."

"You know, I still think there's a spot on the wall somewhere where my dad took an order one day when he ran out of paper," Luke mused.

Lorelai completed her drawing to mark the paint sample that she and Luke had chosen. "Really? Where?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. Behind the counter, maybe."

Lorelai let out a soft giggle. She noticed Luke's certainty despite how nonchalant he was about the entire situation. She slipped off the stool and walked around the counter.

"Next to the door. On the right side," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai sat on the floor and Luke sat down next to her, watching her as she read the message out loud.

"Oh. Huh. Here it is: 'Three hammers, Phillips-head screwdrivers –'"

"And three boxes of nails in assorted sizes," Luke finished.

"Oh," Lorelai replied.

"I've seen it from time to time," he explained as the two shared a laugh. They sat in silence for a moment before Luke looked at Lorelai. "Yeah, well, I guess it is time for a little spruce."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, it is. But let's not spruce this particular spot."

"That sounds good," Luke agreed.

"Okay," Lorelai said.

The two looked at each other and Lorelai felt a chill go down her spine. She was glad that she had learned a little something about Luke through the writing on the wall. She was taking in the moment she just had when Luke started to get up, hearing voices outside the door.

"Oh, jeez," Luke muttered.

"No, no, don't get up," Lorelai insisted.

Luke looked at Lorelai, annoyed. "But if I don't get up…"

"They'll go away. They'll go away, trust me. Shh," she said, crouching down behind the counter and waiting for the townspeople who had gathered outside of the door to go away. After Taylor rattled the doorknob, knocked on the window, and gave his predictions for what the diner would look like upon completion of the paint job, he and the rest of the sightseers left.

"Thank you," Luke said.

"You're welcome," Lorelai replied. She took a deep breath and ignored the tingly feeling in her spine once again. "I should go," she whispered.

"Okay," Luke agreed.

Lorelai thought quickly, searching for something to say to avoid leaving the conversation on an awkward note. "Ah, so. It's going to be great."

"Oh, I'm sure it is," Luke said with a nod.

"See ya," she said, getting up and grabbing her belongings.

"See ya."

The next day, Lorelai and Rory were at Doose's as Lorelai explained the events of the night prior. "So then he basically said, 'oh, it's behind the counter, maybe' or something to that effect. He knew where it was the whole time, and it was weird because he tried to act so casual."

"You're still reeling from the sex in the diner scene of that movie we watched the other night," Rory insisted. "You're taking it much too literally."

"But Rory, I know there's something up with Luke. What it is, I have to figure out. But there's something going on," she said, paying Taylor for the groceries as they exited the market. A motorcycle pulled up in front of the two, and Lorelai stood for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Nice shirt. Take it off," the man on the motorcycle said, taking off his helmet.

Lorelai gasped. "Christopher."

"Dad!" Rory squealed, running over to hug Christopher.

Lorelai watched the two for a moment, letting out a small sigh. This was definitely going to complicate her life. First Luke in the diner, and now Christopher, showing up in Stars Hollow. She shook her head in disbelief. She was only one person, and her life was getting too dramatic for one person to handle outside of a soap opera.


	4. And Looked Down One As Far As I Could

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me for this story. I want to reassure you, again, that I won't disappoint you guys, as long as you stick with me until the end. I promise that it will be worth it! Thanks to R.M. Jackson for the beta... without you all I'd have is a bunch of awkwardly worded sentences that I'd beat myself up for later! Thanks a million!**

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Since Christopher arrived in Stars Hollow, Lorelai's life had become a whirlwind. Chris had expressed his desire to become a part of Rory's life, and Lorelai let him in. After all, Chris was Rory's father, right? The door was always open. Lorelai honestly felt that Christopher wanted to try harder. Even though her heart and her common sense were disagreeing, she wanted what was best for Rory. She wasn't sure if Chris was it, but she was willing to give him another shot. He had multiple chances that he had blown before, but maybe this time would be the time when he followed through.

When Emily called Christopher in the diner that day, and he handed her the phone, Lorelai couldn't even begin to imagine what they were planning. Emily went on and on, expressing her desire to have a family dinner that included Straub and Francine. Lorelai second guessed her reluctant approval of the situation, kicking herself for not putting her foot down in that situation. She couldn't sleep the night of the phone call, remembering what happened 16 years ago. Lorelai spent a lot of time trying to convince herself that the situation was better than it seemed. She thought that she was being irrational, overprotective, or even selfish, for letting the situation in the past influence her perceptions of what would happen on Friday night.

And then there was Luke. She noticed the glare that he gave Christopher. She had shrugged it off before, thinking it was because of the 'no cell phones' rule being broken before his eyes. But Lorelai was already second guessing, so she thought more and more about it. Luke was an excellent judge of character. He had been as long as Lorelai knew him. Maybe Luke knew something that she didn't?

She finally decided to give up the worrying and just let it go. It was the only way she was going to figure it out, after all. She had to start trusting Christopher at some point. So she let it happen. She let go of her inhibitions and let Christopher, Straub, and Francine into Rory's life.

And it backfired. Just her luck.

She sat on her parents' balcony, regretting her willingness to trust the Haydens. Leaning her head back against the concrete, she reflected on the events of the night. She hated that it had to end up the way that it did. Lorelai knew she couldn't blame herself entirely. Straub and Francine were extremely closed minded, and made the Gilmores look like saints. She clicked her heel against the side of the balcony, thinking about how her father had spilled the beans on how much she had ruined the family reputation, after asking Straub and Francine to leave. Lorelai bit her lower lip and tried not to cry.

She slammed her palms against the balcony, trying to release some frustration. She was trying to let her frustration go before she drove Rory home. It wasn't Rory's fault. Why should she make Rory feel guilty on the drive home? Lorelai stood up, pacing the balcony again, thinking about how the fight would affect Rory. She was already nervous about seeing Straub and Francine again, and Lorelai essentially forced it.

Lorelai heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around and sighed. It was Christopher. He came toward her and she shook her head. "Chris," she started.

"Interesting night," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Lorelai said with a nod.

"You have plans for the rest of the night?" he asked, the look in his eyes turning devilish as he reached for the hem of her sweater.

Lorelai paused for a moment and then reality hit her like a ton of bricks. She had promised to help Luke paint the diner. "Chris, I have to go," Lorelai said, making her way back inside. "I promised someone I'd help paint tonight."

"Is that what you call it now?" Chris asked with a laugh, putting his hand gently on her arm. "You got a man you're not telling me about? I know how good things can be on their end, I was with you once, but wow, this guy's awfully lucky. You cover for him."

"No, Chris, I'm serious. I have to go," Lorelai insisted, pushing her way through Chris and into the house. She looked at her watch and sighed. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry.

"Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Oh, good, sweets, I have to help Luke paint the diner tonight, we're going to blow this popsicle stand."

"Good," Rory said, muttering under her breath. "I'll get my coat. I was ready to blow this popsicle stand an hour ago."

Christopher emerged a moment later. "Wow, you must have been great at hide-and-seek as a kid. I can't really remember if you were or not, which is surprising. But, judging by the stunt that you just pulled, it seems like you would have been."

Lorelai forced a smile. "Christopher, I have to go. It was nice to see you, goodbye," she said, retrieving her coat and her purse as she made her way out to the driveway.

Opening the door to the Jeep, Lorelai let out a sigh. She turned to Rory and groaned as Rory buckled her seatbelt.

"Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai started the Jeep. "Yeah, sweets?"

"Are you okay?"

Nodding, Lorelai pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. "Are you okay? That's the question I should be asking. You know you're not the gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe, right?"

Rory gave a small smile, pulling at her sleeve. "I know," she said softly.

"Because to me, you are the Red Vines on movie night," Lorelai started. "Without them no movie night is complete. Or you are the coffee to my morning. Makes it easier to get through and gives me a boost of energy. Plus, I'm addicted."

"Wow, I've become every food metaphor you can think of, that means love," Rory teased.

Lorelai rolled down the window on the driver's side. "Rory, I'm just making sure that you know that I love you. You're my best friend. Nothing could ever change that. You're a wonderful person, you're succeeding in everything you do, and I am so proud of you. Always remember that, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Rory replied, reaching for the radio.

"I feel bad for causing this," Lorelai started. "I mean, I wanted the Haydens to be a part of your life if they wanted to be. You know it's their loss, right?"

Rory nodded. "Grandma told me, and so did you. Not like I needed a reassurance," she said with a shrug.

Lorelai took the exit to Stars Hollow. Emily? She thought about what Emily could possibly have said to Rory while Lorelai was on the balcony trying to cool off. As Lorelai stopped at a red light, she turned to Rory. "I am so sorry that I forced you into this."

Rory shook her head. "Mom, no, it wasn't you. You didn't tie me up and drag me here. I came on my own. I guess a little piece of me wanted to connect with the Haydens like I've clicked with Grandma and Grandpa lately. I mean, I know that Grandma and Grandpa aren't perfect, but I like getting to know them. I figured maybe the Haydens could be the same way. But hey, every rose has its thorn, right?"

"You must be mentally drained, because a Poison reference was probably not your best," Lorelai mused, looking both ways before turning left.

"I don't know," Rory continued. "It was kind of weird sitting in the room and watching them pretend I didn't exist. And watching you and Dad sit together… that was kind of weird too. Is there something going on between you two?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, no, we're good, everything's good, why?"

"Dad looked kind of upset when we left tonight," Rory reasoned. "I mean, he looked like those kids on the spelling bee every year when they get a word wrong."

"He had the spelling bee look of shock?" Lorelai said with a gasp. "Really?"

Rory nodded. "He seemed upset by the whole ordeal. You didn't blame him for what happened with Straub and Francine, did you?"

"No, no, of course not," Lorelai explained. "I just kind of ran out on him when I remembered I had to help Luke paint. I think he thought I had someone else. It was a welcome escape, in my opinion. But no, I wouldn't blame him for what his parents did."

"You rushed away awfully quickly for Luke," Rory pointed out, turning the volume on the radio down. "Is there something going on between you two again?"

Lorelai sighed. "If I had a nickel for every time I wondered that, I'd be able to buy Harvard for you. Not the education, the school. That's how rich I'd be."

"Is there something good going on? Or is it something bad? Do you know that, at least?" Rory pressed.

"Kid, you are becoming a journalist for a reason," Lorelai said with a forced smile. "I don't know, he shared something really personal with me the other day and it seemed like we were having one of those nice moments. But he's Luke, he can also be grumpy."

"I'm definitely aware," Rory grinned. "But at least things are good with you guys. He keeps us in coffee."

Lorelai nodded, thinking of a way to change the subject. "So what are your plans for tonight?" she asked.

Rory shrugged. "I think I'm going to turn in early. It's been a long night."

"I don't blame you," Lorelai replied. "It has been a long night. If you need me, I'm going to be at Luke's. I'm already so unbelievably late for this painting gig as it is."

Rory smiled. "You're going to paint in heels? Wow."

"I can do anything in heels," Lorelai said, pretending to be offended. "Just watch me."

"Don't get any paint on them, you'll be sorry," Rory said, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door. "You sure you don't want me to get you some painting clothes?"

"I'll come back and get them if I need them," Lorelai replied. "Get some sleep. Count those sheep."

"Okay," Rory said. "Goodnight," Rory said, getting out of the Jeep.

Lorelai broke every town law she could to get to Luke's in the same hour in which she had promised to be there. She ran into the diner, watching as Luke spread the tarps over the floor. The look on his face was one of pure frustration. She cringed. He looked like he was ready to throw his paint roller at her for being so late. "Luke!" Lorelai called.

He turned around. "Right on time," he muttered, looking at Lorelai suspiciously.

"What?" Lorelai asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

Luke shook his head, grabbing a bucket of paint and placing it on a nearby table. "No, you don't. I was just… you're going to wear that to paint? You do realize that painting is messy, right?"

She shrugged. "Why not? I like the outfit, and paint washes out."

"That's a recipe for disaster," Luke snorted, handing her a paintbrush.

"Hey," Lorelai said, pointing the paintbrush at Luke. "I can paint naked if I want to. Would you prefer that I paint naked? I'd be happy to oblige."

Luke turned red, looking down at the floor and bending over to adjust a tarp. "Can we just paint, please?" he asked. "Clothed would be preferable."

Lorelai took a deep breath. She had just flirted with Luke. She did the same thing that she thought he had done to her that night. She shrugged it off, figuring that Luke was just sensitive to nakedness jokes. She took off her heels and placed them by the counter. "Okay, now, where do you want me to start? And can we please grab the radio and listen to some music? Please? To avoid the inevitably awkward silence?"

"Awkward silence? You talk enough to avoid it," Luke insisted, pouring some paint into the tray. "You start over there, I'll start over here."

"Over where?" Lorelai asked.

"There," Luke said, pointing to the window. He walked over to Lorelai, carrying a can of paint and a tray. He placed the items on the floor, and sat down on the tarp to open the can for Lorelai.

She looked down at him, feeling incredibly guilty for leaving him hanging. She scratched her head, thinking about what she had been going through for the past few days. Taking a deep breath, she sat next to him, as close as she possibly could. "I'm sorry about being late. I really am," she said, her tone sincere.

"Not like I wasn't prepared for your lack of punctuality anyway," he said, discarding the top of the paint can and placing it on the table as he made his way back to his painting station.

Lorelai nodded in reply, dipping her paint roller into the tray. She knew that she was over an hour late, and that wasn't acceptable. The stinging feeling in her gut remained as she began to paint the wall by the window. She took a deep breath as she pressed the roller against the wall, trying to calm herself down with the repetitive motion. When it became apparent that she was spreading around existing paint instead of covering more of the wall, she reached for the tray and looked over to Luke. The flirting thing was still out in the open, and she didn't get a response. She took a deep breath and tried once again to get Luke's attention. "Do you think I should change?" she asked.

Luke stopped painting and looked at Lorelai. "I tried to tell you that."

"But I think I look good in this, don't you?" she asked.

"Why don't we just paint, and if you get paint on that outfit, don't come crying to me," Luke insisted.

Lorelai put the roller back into the nearby tray. "All right," she said, slightly annoyed. "I'm returning the gesture, don't you get it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke barked. The infamous vein was visible, his face had turned a deeper shade of red, and he had discarded his own paint roller to cross his arms in frustration.

"Okay, I get that you're angry that I didn't show up on time. I understand that. I can explain. See, Christopher's Rory's dad, and he's visiting Stars Hollow for the first time," Lorelai started.

Luke cleared his throat. "I noticed."

"So my parents invited Christopher, me and Rory, as well as Christopher's parents, over for dinner. And they basically denied Rory's existence, they paid no attention to her, and they treated her like dirt. There was a huge blowup, Christopher tried to seduce me, and of course, he's the last person I want to see right now," Lorelai explained.

"I'm not angry about your lack of punctuality, Lorelai, that's nothing new," Luke said. "I thought that we just went over this a few minutes ago."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Then why are you angry at me? For the past few days you've been giving me and Christopher dirty looks. You're not going to win Miss Congeniality with that modus operandi any time soon."

"I am not giving anyone dirty looks," Luke said, holding his hands up, almost in a gesture of self-defense. "You're just being dramatic."

She snorted. "I'm crazy and overdramatic. That's always the way it is with you. I'm never normal, sane, or right. Why is that? I mean, a lot of people don't take me seriously anymore, including Christopher's parents, my parents, and a lot of other people. But you? I always thought you'd take me seriously. You always used to. Hell, until a couple of weeks ago, you always told me I was doing okay and that everything would work out. Why the change?"

Luke shook his head. "Nothing's changed, Lorelai."

"Oh, yeah? What about the night in the diner when we chatted until Mrs. Kim interrupted us?"

Luke took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. "What about it?"

"Luke, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Lorelai, one would think that in all the years I've known you, you would realize that I very rarely know what you're talking about," Luke said, his tone changing from anger to surprise. "I've never been very good at reading minds, the connection is fuzzy."

She picked up her shoes from the area by the counter and held them in her hands, prepared to leave if the argument wasn't solved momentarily. "You know what I'm talking about, don't lie. 'We should do this again sometime' meant something, clearly."

"It meant that we should hang out again, Lorelai, you're reading way too far into this," Luke protested.

"You weren't trying to ask me out? Okay, that's fine. Sure. I can deal with that. That was a few days after I broke up with Max; I was probably full of it then. I was still figuring things out, so it would make sense that I could have misinterpreted that. Luke one, Lorelai zero. What about the other day behind the counter? You got me behind that counter for a reason. You know you did," she ranted, dropping her shoes in their original spot once again.

Luke moved the can of paint away from his leg and stepped toward Lorelai. "I wasn't trying to do anything behind the counter. You're crazy."

"I saw the look in your eyes, Luke. Hell, I even felt a little something there. But it's obvious that I'm just crazy, and that's the only reason that this fight is happening. Send me off to the funny farm, but make my straitjacket pretty or I won't stay," she said as tears began to fall down her face. She wiped them with the sleeve of her sweater, throwing herself into a nearby chair and letting out a grunt of frustration.

"Are you crying?" Luke asked, his tone softening.

"No, I'm just a really good actress," Lorelai said sarcastically, standing up and smoothing out her sweater.

"Lorelai," he said. "I'll make you some coffee, we'll talk this out."

She shook her head. "Now you're just trying to appease me, Luke. I was clearly flirting with you a few minutes ago, and you were clearly flirting with me in both of those instances. Don't deny it. I know you're lying."

"I was not flirting with you, and I clearly did not realize that you were flirting with me," Luke replied, handing her a mug of coffee.

Lorelai shook her head and crossed her arms once again. "My making a comment about being naked was clearly flirting with you. As was my comment about whether or not you liked my outfit. I've probably flirted with you subconsciously for awhile now, I've heard that I do that a lot. Or maybe it's just because they all think I'm crazy too."

"Lorelai," Luke shouted.

"You know what? Christopher tried to seduce me tonight. But I gave that up, and I came here to paint with you. I wasn't going to break a promise to someone I called my friend. I figured that maybe tonight we could get somewhere with our relationship. But I guess I turned down my chance to have something wonderful. Luke two, Lorelai zero, you happy now?" she cried, staring at Luke and sniffling.

He stood silently, staring back at her. He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh," he started.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Crazy Lorelai does it again. Forget it, Luke, I'll just go be with someone who isn't afraid to step up and tell someone how he feels," she insisted, walking out the door to the diner and letting it slam behind her.

She didn't get far before realizing that she was barefoot. She walked back to the diner, where Luke was standing outside, holding her shoes. She jerked them out of his hands, slipped them on haphazardly, and made her way back home.

Lorelai felt her anger building with every step she took toward her house. She didn't deserve this. Why was Luke playing mind games with her? It wasn't amusing. She finally reached the Crap Shack and threw the door open, cringing when she remembered that Rory was asleep. She shut the door and discarded her shoes and her purse before throwing herself onto the couch. She pulled out the box of tissues she had started to keep underneath the couch. Grabbing a handful, she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and curled up in it. Her breath caught in her throat and the tears began to fall. Judging by the way she was feeling, she knew that she had really hurt Luke, too.

She blew her nose, throwing the tissue out into the dark living room. Curling her knees close to her chest, she tried to ignore the muscle tension she was feeling. She pulled the blanket closer to her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep.

The sound of a motorcycle woke her the next morning. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and trudged to the door. Chris was parked in her driveway. He got off his bike and walked up the porch stairs. As he came closer, Lorelai's eyes widened. She didn't care how terrible that she looked. Letting all of her fears go in a deep breath, she stepped forward, put her hands gently on Christopher's face, and kissed him.


	5. To Where it Bent in the Undergrowth

**A/N: I thank all of you for sticking with the story. Please, please, please, continue to do so. I promise it will be worth it. I am forever grateful to R.M. Jackson for being my beta and deciding that while I am not good with punctuation, I'm still worth beta-ing for. So thanks. Enjoy the chapter! Reviews are like Babette's cats. Each one is loved, each one is special, and each is unique. Forgive the bad comparison?**

* * *

Christopher broke the kiss and took a step back, looking to make sure he didn't hit a porch stair. The look on his face was one of shock with a touch of cockiness. He grinned, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to him. He stopped suddenly, brushing her dark curls out of her eyes. "Lor, you look terrible, are you okay?"

She broke free, pacing the deck as she started to spill her feelings to Chris. "I want to be around someone who doesn't think I'm crazy, Christopher."

He let out a laugh and took her hand. "I knew you were crazy from the day I met you, but that hasn't stopped me yet."

Lorelai pulled her hand back, crossing her arms defensively. "I want this to work so badly. I've been burned in so many relationships, but everything keeps circling back to you. I want to try this again; do you want to try this again? I mean, someone obviously thinks that we're made for each other. You keep showing up at random times in my life, especially when I'm the most vulnerable. God, you have to stop doing that if you don't think this will work."

"Whoa, there, cowgirl, slow down," Chris said. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Last night, I was scared."

"Of?"

"Of trying it again with you. Because I felt like there were some things I had to deal with first. And I realized that there was nothing there. It was just you. I should have stayed with you, and I'm stupid to have screwed up like I did."

"You didn't screw up," he assured her, rubbing her shoulder gently. "I know how it is to run because you're scared of something. But you just told me what you wanted, right?"

Lorelai looked at Chris, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She merely nodded, sitting on the steps to the porch and putting her head in her hands. "Why does everything keep coming back to you? Why did you show up here?"

"Because I figured that maybe you would want to give it another go," he replied, taking a seat next to her and wrapping his arm around her. "And it seems like you do."

"I want this to be right, Christopher," Lorelai explained. "I'm looking for the right guy. Someone who won't screw it up, and won't let me screw it up."

Chris smiled. "Hey, now, there will be no inappropriate screwing around. There's only one kind of screwing around that's acceptable, and we know we're capable of that."

"Dirty," she said softly, leaning in to kiss Christopher. The kiss felt so natural, why was she worried? She pulled back, biting her bottom lip. In his eyes she could see his genuine desire to make things work between them once again. It mirrored her own feelings of hope that they could finally be successful in their relationship.

After all, Chris kept showing up for a reason, right? She wouldn't have been the slightest bit tempted if there wasn't something there. And Chris was always in the back of her mind. He was Rory's father. He was the man she used to hope would come to the potting shed and knock on the door, pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately when he saw her. He was the guy who was always so unreachable for her.

And now he sat on her front porch, with his arm wrapped protectively around her waist, making her feel loved, accepted, and normal. She took a deep breath. Christopher never made her feel like a screw up. Maybe this could work out after all.

"You're not going to take off, are you?" Lorelai blurted out. "Because this is where my common sense starts to kick in. You come back, hang around for a little while, and then break my heart all over again. You can't do that if you want to try it again with me."

He sighed as he pulled her closer to him. "You have my word. I'm not going anywhere except back home. I'll come back, don't worry. Especially because you just spilled your guts to me. I think we're on the same page here."

She looked into Christopher's eyes one more time, shaking the doubt that ran through her mind. This time was different. It had to be different. They were on the same page; he just said it, after all. She took a deep breath, and slowly nodded. It was only fair to give him a second chance after she had just reeled him in closer. "Okay," Lorelai answered with a confident nod.

"So we're doing this?" Christopher confirmed. "You and me? Again?"

"That's the word on the street," Lorelai said, leaning in to kiss him once again. She had missed Christopher; she was glad he stopped by.

He stood up and walked down the stairs of the Crap Shack porch, making his way toward his bike. "I have to get back home. But I'll call you later?"

She nodded, moving in for another kiss. Lorelai didn't want him to go, but she knew she needed to fix things with Luke if she ever wanted a good cup of coffee again. "I'll be around."

Chris got back on his motorcycle, gave her a smile, and put on his helmet. Revving the motorcycle a few times, he pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road, leaving Lorelai standing in the yard, watching him ride down the street until she could no longer see him.

Lorelai couldn't bring herself to go back inside. Her feet felt as though they were cemented to the ground. She shivered slightly, trying to ignore the weird feeling she was getting about the whole situation. Finally, she brought herself to go back inside. She made her way upstairs and shuddered when she caught a glimpse of her appearance. Her hair was tangled, her mascara had run overnight, and the dark circles under her eyes were a telling sign of her emotional state.

She got into the shower, trying not to question what she had just done. Christopher was trying. She knew things could work out if she allowed them to. She stood under the hot water, letting it run across her back as she shampooed her hair. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. The nauseous feeling she had in her stomach was purely a lack of caffeine, and nothing more.

After completing her shower, getting dressed, and ensuring that she looked more stable than she did earlier, Lorelai decided to bite the bullet and make her way over to Luke's. She owed him a major apology for the way she had acted. Yelling at him because she was having a rough night wasn't the right way to go. And it was clear Luke didn't have feelings for her. She felt so stupid.

Lorelai slowly opened the door to Luke's, making her way in cautiously. She saw a few unfamiliar patrons, so she took a seat at an empty table and waited for Luke to make his way out of the kitchen. When she saw him, she quickly looked away, trying not to stare at him. Staring would surely make matters worse. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. Why was she so nervous? She and Luke had fought before. Fights with Luke always ended up with make-up coffee. Letting out a sigh, she turned to face him once again. She could use a cup of make-up coffee.

"Uh, hi, Luke," she blurted out as he passed by her table.

He stopped in his tracks. Luke crossed his arms as he stood in front of her, raising his eyebrows, almost in search of an explanation. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She snorted. "Me? What about you?"

"Okay, see, here's the thing," Luke said, his face turning red as the volume of his voice increased. "You accused me of ignoring you while you were flirting with me, because I was flirting with you. And if that sounds confusing, you're damn right it is. Imagine how I felt last night when you came up with this crap!"

"It's not crap," she insisted. "It's true!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious. I think the coffee and junk food may finally be getting to you, Lorelai, because I still don't know what the hell you were talking about last night. I tried to get it out of you, but you stormed out of here, acting wounded and offended."

She gripped the edge of the chair, trying her hardest not to scream back. She was hoping to calm him down so she could apologize, and things weren't going her way so far. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she held onto the chair until her knuckles turned white. Lorelai opened her eyes and continued. "I was offended that you didn't even want to hear what I was saying to you," she replied in almost a whisper.

"Wow, looks like we're on the same boat then, doesn't it?" he shouted. "You didn't want to hear a damn thing I said last night, so I guess we're even! Does that make you happy?"

Lorelai dropped her purse on the ground and shot out of the chair, curling her hands into tight fists at her side. "You know what? I am happy. You and I may have been misinterpreting each other last night, but I found a solution. I'm now with someone who knows exactly what's going on with me, at all times. Apparently you caring about what I'm thinking is so last season."

"If you compare our argument to a fashion statement, Lorelai, that clearly shows a lack of understanding about it. It's simple. Cut and dry, black and white. We do not understand each other. That's it, and that's all it will ever be. I serve the coffee, you talk my ear off, you pay, and it's over."

She was about to respond, but she took a split second to think about what Luke had just said. Was that it? Luke's job was to give her the coffee, and her job was to annoy him? "Is that what you think our relationship should be?" she shouted, her anger building as he tried to hold back tears. "Clearly I don't think that's all it is, because I've asked you for help too many times to count! Rory had the chicken pox and who was there to save the day but Super Luke, with his magical backwards baseball cap and healing mashed potatoes!"

"Don't mock me," Luke snarled.

"You know what? I can do whatever the hell I want to. Because you just trivialized our friendship, and that hurt more than you can ever imagine. And you're sadly mistaken if you think I'm not going to throw it back in your face. I depended on you, Luke. You helped me more than you could ever know. And you're willing to go back to the proprietor-customer relationship?" she seethed.

She put her tongue in her cheek and rolled her eyes. This couldn't be happening. Luke was being entirely self-centered and idiotic. Couldn't he see that all she was trying to do was apologize in the first place? Her head started to pound and her throat started feeling scratchy, but she locked her knees and crossed her arms, waiting for Luke to respond.

"What the hell do I care anymore?" he grunted, lowering his voice. "You were late to paint the diner with me, you're accusing me of being self-centered and ignorant, and you're putting words in my mouth. Clearly, it isn't worth arguing over. So do you need coffee to start?"

"Don't try to pass this one over with coffee, mister," she said, pointing at Luke.

"Customer-proprietor relationship, that's what you said I was suggesting, remember? Just helping you along in your self-fulfilling prophecy on how your life was supposed to go," he said with a shrug. "Not my place to do anything else anymore."

She sat in the chair, trying to ignore the stinging feeling in her gut that Luke had just left her with. She watched as he made her coffee and poured it into a to-go cup. Every muscle in her body tensed as he put the lid on and handed her the cup without saying a word.

Accepting the coffee, she rolled her eyes and dropped a few quarters onto the table. Before leaving, Lorelai made eye contact with Luke. The look in his eyes was unmistakable. He was clearly hurt. She left the diner, trying to act like she didn't feel angry about the whole blowup. Sipping the coffee, Lorelai let out a loud grunt of frustration as she started the walk to the inn. This was absolutely ridiculous. Luke was hurt over a shift to a more impersonal relationship that he thought she was implying?

Lorelai hated to admit it, but she was hurt, too.

Surely it would blow over. It always did. But this was the biggest fight she'd ever had with Luke. Lorelai knew in her heart of hearts that she wanted to be Luke's friend, not just his customer. Still fuming from the argument, she was questioning it at that moment. But as she neared the inn, the fog in her brain began to clear a little and she was feeling extremely selfish and stupid.

Tossing the empty coffee cup in the trash can on the street corner, she looked both ways before crossing the street. She ran her fingers through her hair, wondering what possessed him to continue their fight in the diner. Her heart began to race again and she shook her head in frustration. She had just started to cool down, but the fight kept replaying in her head, making her more and more upset.

Lorelai finally made it to the inn. She walked in and nearly knocked Michel over as she took her place behind the desk. She began angrily typing away on the keys to the computer. Michel turned to Lorelai, a surprised look on his face. "What are you doing to the keyboard?"

"I'm typing, Michel, leave me alone," Lorelai replied under her breath.

"It sounds like you are trying to commit a mass murder of the alphabet in my opinion," he replied, sorting through the mail without looking up.

She took her hands off the keyboard and walked back into the kitchen, grabbing a nearby mug and filling it with coffee. Taking a sip, she grimaced and spit it back into the cup. It was decaf. Lorelai poured the coffee down the sink and started to make a fresh pot, slamming cabinet doors and other items as she worked.

"Lorelai?" Sookie asked cautiously.

"Why does Luke have to be such an asshole?"

"I don't understand. Luke's a great guy, he makes you coffee. That automatically elevates him to Zeus status in your mind," Sookie answered with a clueless smile.

"Luke and I got into a fight over Christopher coming back, in a nutshell," Lorelai started.

Sookie clapped her hands together. "That's right! Christopher's back in town!"

"Sook, this is not a good thing. He's seriously caused a San Andreas fault type of break in the Luke and Lorelai relationship. Luke and I got into this huge fight last night."

"How is Christopher responsible for that?" Sookie asked, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a container of garlic cloves. "And why is he getting between a friendship? Did he give Luke a black eye?"

"What does a black eye have to do with anything?"

Sookie shrugged. "I don't know. I've always wanted to see Luke with a black eye. Part of me thinks it would be hysterical."

Lorelai shook her head, crossing her arms and taking a deep breath. "No punches were thrown. Luke and I were supposed to paint the diner last night. I showed up late because of drama at Friday night dinner, and he blew a fuse. So then we got into this huge war of the words and I left."

"Sounds ugly," Sookie replied, cringing as her tone changed from perky to genuinely concerned.

"It was. And of course, I was wrong last night, so I went back to try and apologize today. You know, because I was stressed out, and he was stressed out from me being late, and it was all messed up. So I was going to try and smooth things over, bat my eyelashes and get a cup of extra strong make-up coffee."

Sookie raised her eyebrow. "Make-up coffee?"

"Whenever Luke and I get into a fight, and we make up, the first cup of coffee is always really strong. It's like…"

"I know where you're going with this," Sookie said with a giggle. "Make up coffee is like your version of make up sex."

"That's not the point, Sookie," Lorelai continued. "He just picked up right where we left off last night, yelling at me about how we should be customer and proprietor, and the friendship was over."

Putting a hand on her friend's shoulder, Sookie gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure it will all be over and done with soon. I mean, come on. You and Luke have been in much worse fights than this."

"We have?" Lorelai questioned.

"Remember when you went behind the counter and answered the phone, pretending it was Al's instead of Luke's?"

"That wasn't a huge fight, Sookie; we made up about three hours later."

Sookie shrugged. "Well, even if this is the worst you two have been through, the fight won't last long. Luke knows you're sorry, you know he didn't mean to say what he said, and you'll get over it."

Lorelai reached over and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and sighed. Turning to Sookie, she rubbed her forehead in frustration. "I hope so."

"Whenever you and Luke get into a fight, things change in your relationship," Sookie said, dropping her towel on the floor. "It's like… what's that game with all the dots and you have to make boxes out of them?"

Shaking her head, Lorelai laughed. "Sookie, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Okay, well, then, maybe your relationship is like Chutes and Ladders. One minute you're at the top of the board, and then you get a Chute and you're back down at the bottom again."

"Sookie, my head hurts, a relatable metaphor, please?" Lorelai put the coffee down and rubbed her temples. The day was getting more and more stressful as she thought more and more about the situation with Luke. It shouldn't have bothered her this much. She was always able to function after a fight with Luke, why was this time any different?

Watching as Sookie opened the oven to check on her dish, Lorelai couldn't help but think about how much Luke meant to her. She belittled him in the diner, making his contributions seem like nothing. As Sookie babbled, the guilt set in. Lorelai was wrong, and she was beginning to realize it.

"Your relationship is like a really twisty road. You're on a straight path one minute and the next, you're braking because you're coming up on a turn and you're going too fast. Maybe after you get past the turn, things will be okay again. You'll eventually get to the destination, right?"

Lorelai smiled. "While that was one of the worst metaphors ever, I appreciate your support," she said, drinking some more coffee. "Can we just change the subject?"

"Absolutely," Sookie said with a grin. "How are things with you and Chris?"

"I think we want to give it another try," Lorelai said, straightening up. "We'll see, though. It's too new for me to dive right in at the moment. He left and told me he'd be back, but at this point I'm still holding back."

Sookie nodded. "Well that's great, there's potential, right?"

"Of course," Lorelai said, finishing off the cup of coffee. "I'm going out front if you need me."

"Sure. Lorelai?"

Lorelai turned to face her best friend. She knew the last piece of advice that she would exit the kitchen with would not be related to Christopher, but to Luke. That was just how Sookie operated. Bracing herself for a comment that would surely make her feel much worse, she forced a smile. "Yeah, Sookie?"

Her friend stirred the sauce on the stove, dropped the spoon back into the pot, and walked over to the sink to rinse some residue off her hands. "You and Luke will always be more than just customer and diner guy. You guys have a friendship that's so honest and so… sweet. It's just a bend in the metaphorical road of friendship, that's all."

Lorelai tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she rocked back on her heels. She swallowed hard. She knew that Sookie was right. Luke's friendship was extremely important to her and she'd have to be insane to let that go. She nodded and headed toward the door. "Let's hope you're right," Lorelai said, walking back to the front desk.


	6. Then Took the Other, Just As Fair

**A/N: I switched around my carefully planned rotation because this story is eating away at me. Your reactions to it are so interesting, and all of the feedback I've gotten is so wonderful, thank you! Here's yet another thank you to all of you for reading, reviewing, and caring enough to rant when you review. It shows I'm doing something right! And thank you to R.M. Jackson for letting me escape from Starbucks while I was writing this chapter, just to avoid the guy who was about to sing a drinking song. Oh, and the beta was appreciated too.**

* * *

"No."

"Mom, I need Luke's coffee. I'd hate for you to realize how much I needed it after I shrivel up and blow away, because then you'd live the rest of your life, hating yourself for being in a stupid fight with Luke!"

"Rory, no. I'm not going to make up with him. He hurt me, Rory. Things just don't work out in that way. You can't just randomly appear after a fight and expect everything to be the way it was before it happened. We'll get coffee at Weston's like we do every other time."

"What makes this time different from the other times?" Rory asked. "Every other time you bust your way through the door, pout, and bat your eyelashes and he's eating out of the palm of your hand! I have a Chemistry exam today. I need my coffee. If we can get Weston's coffee, which is clearly a sign of your transition into 'post fight' mode why can't you go by the rest of your normal 'post fight' routine?"

Lorelai and Rory stood across the street from Luke's diner. Rory stared longingly into the window, begging her mother to give up whatever animosity she had toward Luke, while Lorelai tried desperately to ignore the guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, she knew that this fight wouldn't be a fight where she and Luke could go on with their friendship as if everything was normal. No matter how many times she apologized, Lorelai knew that because they got their love lives involved in this spat, things would be different.

The throbbing in her forehead refused to cease as she stood and watched the activity in the diner from far away. She stared into the window and watched as Luke walked back and forth, serving his customers that came for the breakfast rush. She stared into the window and watched as Luke and Kirk fought back and forth regarding Kirk's breakfast order. It was pancake day for Kirk, Lorelai mused. He was probably debating whether to ask for chocolate chip, blueberry, or blueberry chocolate chip.

As she watched, and tuned out Rory's pleas to go across the street and break the ice, Lorelai realized that she was just as much to blame as Luke was. Lorelai felt terrible for treating Luke the way she had, and it wasn't the need for coffee that swayed her opinion. Lorelai's thoughts were interrupted as her daughter pulled her toward the small bakery across the street.

"Mom, I'm sorry that you and Luke got in a fight, but I'm sixteen years old and going through coffee withdrawal symptoms. You don't want me to search for other alternatives, I'm sure, so let's head to Weston's and get ourselves the second best cup of coffee in Stars Hollow."

Lorelai allowed Rory to pull her toward Weston's but made her disapproval known. "Rory, hon, I don't want to go to Weston's, but I don't want to go to Luke's either."

"Well, missy, you need to make a decision. Is it going to be awkward Lorelai trying to awkwardly make up with Luke, causing Rory to awkwardly walk into Chilton late? Or is it going to be caffeinated Lorelai and caffeinated Rory discussing how to make things better with Luke when you two are ready? The second seems like a win-win situation to me, but hey, who am I to judge?"

Groaning, Lorelai started the walk to Weston's. If it involved a plan to make things better with Luke, even if they were only a little better, she was all for it. Rory was awfully forceful in the 'getting Lorelai and Luke to make up' department.

"Is the coffee at Luke's that good that you're willing to scheme and pull us together again?"

"My motives may be selfish, but yes," Rory replied. "Do I have to do my best Vanna White impression to get you to go in?"

"I have forgotten how good Luke's coffee is," she said after a dramatic pause.

"Then you and Luke need to make up. Pronto."

Lorelai bit her lower lip. She wished it was that simple, but of course, she failed to mention the biggest obstacle in the Luke and Lorelai reunion. She hadn't talked to Rory about Christopher yet. She wasn't sure whether there was anything to talk about at all. He had left so quickly after they agreed to give it another go that she was still processing.

The pounding headache that Lorelai had tried to ignore grew stronger. Rory chose a table at Weston's, and took her yellow backpack off, dropping it beside her chair. Lorelai seated herself across from Rory, drumming her fingertips against the table's cool surface. Spacing out would be the best idea at the moment. She had to figure out what to say about Christopher to Rory.

As Rory chatted, borderline ranted, about Lorelai and Luke, Lorelai couldn't help but drifting off. She stared at one of the cakes in the display case. Focusing in on its detailed decorations, she tried to tune Rory out and think about the situation for herself.

On one hand, she had Luke. Luke was more important to her than she gave him credit for sometimes. After fixing many a leaky faucet or a broken window, Luke had become more than just the guy who owned the diner. Lorelai couldn't deny that. Luke was one of her closest friends; she knew that she could trust Luke with any problem or concern that she had.

The fight between the two had caused Lorelai to look at their friendship in a new way. Could they be something more than friends? Were they holding feelings for each other besides feelings of friendship? She was almost scared to venture into that territory because Luke meant so much to her. And the reaction she got in the diner when she attempted to flirt with Luke was clearly not one of romantic reciprocation.

And then there was Christopher. He was the guy who always seemed to show up at the most inconvenient time in her life. Or was it sheer convenience instead? He was always the one to stroke Lorelai's ego, making her feel totally and completely loved. Until he took off, leaving her and Rory with no number to contact him.

Lorelai's fight with Luke made Christopher seem like an angel. And that made her feel uncomfortable. But at this point, she had convinced herself that Christopher was always there. Because he was always there, it had to be a sign, right? A sign that he was right for her? After all, he did show up at those times for a reason.

She hated having to justify a relationship in her mind. But it was all she ever knew. Sometimes Lorelai thought about having a relationship that she didn't need to justify with anyone, even herself. Because it had become so familiar to her, she started to doubt the existence of a relationship that didn't need justification.

"Mom? Are you listening to a word that I'm saying?" Rory grunted, interrupting Lorelai's train of thought once again.

"Sorry, sweets, what did you say?"

Rory crossed her arms. "Okay, I'm going to give you the 'See Spot Run' version, because I'm going to miss my bus if I don't."

"Lay it on me."

"Luke is clearly someone you don't want to leave hanging. He's just not. You and Luke have a chemistry, and that's why you get along so well the majority of the time. And when you don't get along, it's fierce. Have you ever considered the idea that you insult him, and he insults you, because you two care about each other and you know you're going to be forgiven?" Rory continued.

"I kissed Christopher," Lorelai blurted out.

Rory dramatically slid her arm across the table, flopping her head on top of it. "You are a one woman soap opera. You know that? This was already complicated, but now it's getting to the point where you're trying to find your left shoe after a team icebreaker, and you have the same shoes as about four other people."

"I kissed Christopher," Lorelai repeated.

"Thank you, Repeat, we didn't need to hear it again," Rory snapped.

"What's wrong with you?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "You're making a mistake. You're using Dad to get over whatever feelings you had for Luke."

"I'm not using him!"

Rory sighed and rubbed her temples. "Okay, maybe that comment was a little out of line."

"A little? Remember when you tried to learn to write with your left hand in case your right one got frostbitten in the snow? That comment you just made was more out of line than your coloring skills in your quest to become ambidextrous."

"I'm sorry," Rory said softly. "I just think you're making a mistake in cutting Luke off for good. And if you're going to start things up with Dad, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

Lorelai nodded. "Catch your bus before you become awkward Rory."

"You're going to have to justify this with me later," Rory said, pointing to her mother. "It will be a miracle if I don't change my major to Psychology to accommodate you."

"Hey, be nice to Mommy. Sorry I was so crabby."

"Forgiven," Rory replied. "So are you going to be around tonight? Dean's got plans for our three month anniversary, and I was hoping you could turn my hair from drab to fab in 15 minutes."

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee. It was sweeter than Luke's. She tried to ignore it, but the taste of the coffee was almost taunting her. She shouldn't have been so hard on Luke. She swallowed, mentally reprimanding herself for gulping the coffee and causing swollen taste buds on her tongue. She sighed. She deserved it. "Of course. We'll get you some of that Herbal Essences shampoo and you'll have quite the shower experience."

"Mom," Rory said with a laugh. "Seriously, would you help me?"

"I can do that. I'm heading out to the festival tonight after I see that you and Dean are going to have a lovely time on your three month anniversary date."

"That should be fun. Are you going to try to talk to Luke?"

"Never say never," Lorelai grumbled, finishing off her coffee.

"All right, I have to go. I'm trying to avoid awkward Rory as long as possible," Rory said, picking up her backpack. "Don't think I won't remember to discuss this later."

"Aye aye, captain!" Lorelai said. Watching as Rory left, Lorelai reached for her purse. She opened the phone and rolled her eyes. She placed assorted items on the table before pulling out a torn piece of paper with a telephone number on it.

"Hello?"

"I gave you twenty four whole hours, and I haven't heard from you. Please don't tell me you've joined the circus," Lorelai teased.

"Nope, I didn't join the circus, but I did marry the bearded lady after a drunken encounter in Vegas."

Lorelai giggled. "How's the annulment process going on that one?"

"She still wants me. It's kind of a complicated thing we've got going. But seriously, who wouldn't want a handsome, clean shaven devil like myself. Opposites attract, you know."

"That's what Paula Abdul said when she was feeling up an animated cat," Lorelai said with a nod.

Christopher chuckled. "That video always creeped me out. Anyway, what possessed you to call me? Besides your need to mock the only video that I can think of that has a cat as the love interest, of course?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said with a heavy sigh. "Just wondering when I can see you again."

"Ugh, Lor, I have business meetings all this week."

Lorelai toyed with her napkin, trying to cover up the disappointment she felt. "Oh, that sucks."

"But I'll check my schedule and see where I can escape for awhile to see you."

She smiled. "That would be nice."

"I have to go, someone's on the other line. But we'll chat soon, okay?"

Lorelai scooped the random items off the table and dropped them back into her purse. "Okay, well, make sure the bearded lady knows there's going to be a chick fight over you if you don't settle this soon."

"I should have gotten a pre-nup," Chris said with a sigh. "See ya."

"Bye," she said, closing her phone and putting it into her purse. She paid for the coffees that she and Rory consumed, and she started toward the inn. The phone conversation didn't give her the warm and fuzzy feeling she had hoped for. She instead felt like she wasn't a priority in Christopher's life. He couldn't be avoiding her, could he?

Of course, she was being judgmental. Chris had obviously expressed his desire to start things up again, and she took his words as genuine and true. He meant every word he said, didn't he? Regardless, after she put her feelings and her heart on the line for him, he was gone once again. At least she knew where to reach him. He still sounded interested, she told herself. Lorelai rubbed her hands up and down the sleeves of her jacket, trying to keep warm as she walked. She was being too much of a worrywart.

She looked over at the town square, which was being decorated for the festival. Maybe it would snow later. The festival was always so pretty when it snowed. She stopped and abandoned her thought process as she heard whispers from Babette and Patty on the street corner. She stopped and joined them for a moment, hoping that she could have a pick-me-up for the morning.

"Oh, hiya Lorelai," Babette whispered.

"Hi doll," Patty said, blushing.

"What's going on?" Lorelai queried.

Babette and Patty exchanged a nervous glance. Lorelai stood between the two women and tried to stare at what they were so obviously staring at. She found herself transfixed by the sight of Luke talking to a woman standing in the middle of the diner.

"That's Rachel," Patty started. "She's Luke's high school sweetheart."

"She's one of those 'anywhere but here' gals. She just keeps packin' up and leavin' every time Luke thinks she's gonna stay for good. She's broken his heart a couple of times, but you know the heart doesn't always heal," Babette added.

Patty nodded. "He was the first girl Luke ever loved. It was so obvious."

"So what's she doing back here?" Lorelai asked, feeling herself getting defensive. She was jealous of this Rachel person, and she was still angry at Luke. Something about this situation was entirely twisted.

"I think she wants to settle down," Patty whispered. "It's been awhile since those two tried it, this time could be the last time."

"Oh, I'd love to see Luke settle down. He's got such a sweet ass, and it's goin' to waste. What a shame," Babette said, shaking her head.

Lorelai gave a polite smile and started walking toward the inn. "Thanks for the update, ladies. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Lorelai," Patty said, her eyes still glued to the scene playing out in the diner.

"We'll keep you updated, dollface," Babette added, also continuing to stare into the window of the diner.

Lorelai crossed her arms and put her head down as she walked. This couldn't be happening. She was getting angry over an ex girlfriend of Luke's. Or a current girlfriend. Or a love interest. Whoever Rachel was, Lorelai found herself resenting her already. And yet she was trying to start things up with Christopher again, and she was in a similar situation.

Why was she getting so defensive over the idea of Luke finding happiness? It wouldn't take anything away from their friendship. She groaned. Of course, the friendship she was thinking of happened to be the friendship that was currently in a rough spot because she had been stupid.

Lorelai stormed into the door of the inn and tossed her things behind the desk. She rolled up her sleeves, forced her way into the kitchen, and began to scrub the dirty dishes. It was her only form of stress relief at the moment. Grabbing the dishwashing liquid, she squeezed the half-empty bottle so hard that the plastic crinkled in her hands. She left the now warped bottle of detergent on the side of the sink and began to scrub.

Why was this Rachel person here? What were her motives? Had Cupid finally decided to play tennis with her love life? Why was she involving Luke in a thought process that related to her love life?

She felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to drop a fork back into the sink. As she wiped the bubbles off her forehead, she turned around. Sookie looked extremely concerned.

"Step away from the dishes," Sookie said, offering her friend a hand towel. "Freak out number two. What the heck is going on here?"

"Rachel's what's going on here," Lorelai muttered.

Sookie raised her eyebrows. "Rachel? The only Rachel I know is… no. Rachel with the… and she… Luke's Rachel?"

"The one and only," Lorelai grumbled in response. "Why does this bother me so much?"

"I don't know," Sookie replied. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Why DOES it bother you?"

Lorelai dried her hands off. She placed the towel on the nearby towel rack and sighed. "I really have no idea. I… heard that she kind of has a tendency to get up and skedaddle every time she gets scared of commitment."

"Lorelai, you were just like her with Max," Sookie reasoned. "And besides. You had her pegged as the Wicked witch of the West before you even heard anything about her."

"I did not," Lorelai protested.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "It's true, Lorelai. Now get out of my kitchen until you decide that de nile isn't just a river in Egypt."

"But…"

Sookie pointed to the door. "No buts, missy. We'll talk after the festival tonight, after you've had some thinking time."

Lorelai groaned and muttered something unintelligible under her breath as she walked out of the kitchen. She tried to focus on her work, but the Luke and Rachel scenario took over. Lorelai knew that Sookie was probably right. She shouldn't judge Rachel before she knew her. The day dragged on, but Lorelai needed it to. She wanted to make sure she thought about her situation before she went ahead and apologized to Luke.

As she walked through the town square at the festival that night, coffee in hand, she passed Luke sitting on a bench by himself. She seated herself next to him and sipped her coffee without a word. She looked at him, and then at her coffee, and then back at him. He turned to look back, but she turned her head away. Lorelai cleared her throat. "So, uh, that's Rachel?"

"That's Rachel."

"She's… back permanently?"

Luke shifted in his seat. "That's what she's telling me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Lorelai took another sip of her coffee as she searched for the words to say. "You know, Luke, I'm really happy for you."

He turned to her, raising his eyebrows. "You are?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you in the diner yesterday. You're my best friend, Luke, I wouldn't intentionally hurt you. You mean so much more to me than just a customer-proprietor relationship, and trivializing that was rude, and I hope you'll forgive me."

"It's okay," Luke said. "I'm sorry too."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. She was getting the tingly feeling again, and she suppressed it as she did before. She cleared her throat once more and turned to Luke. "So, uh, Chris and I are going to try it again."

"Really?" Luke asked.

He sounded surprised, but Lorelai had expected it. It was everyone's reaction, after all. She nodded. "Yeah. So I guess we both found someone, huh?"

"I guess so," he replied, standing up as Rachel approached the pair. He turned to Lorelai, who stood up as she saw him look at her. "Lorelai, this is Rachel, Rachel this is Lorelai."

Rachel smiled, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you. Luke tells me that you come into the diner a lot? From what it sounds like, you two are really good friends, huh?"

Lorelai shook Rachel's hand, awkwardly standing across from the pair. This was surely going to go down in history as one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life. "It's nice to meet you too. And yeah, I'm a regular. If Luke's was on the stock market, I'd singlehandedly keep shareholders happy with all the coffee I order."

Rachel giggled. "He does make good coffee, doesn't he?"

"The best," Lorelai agreed.

The three stood for a moment, staring at each other without speaking. After a brief pause, Rachel pointed to the gazebo. "I want to go get some pictures of the gazebo," she said. "It was nice to meet you."

Lorelai smiled. "You too," she said as she watched Rachel make her timely exit. She finished her coffee and tossed it into the trash barrel next to her. Lorelai could sense that Luke was upset. She flashed him a smile and put her hand on his knee. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just that you seem… less than thrilled with her arrival. Is everything okay between you two?"

"Everything's fine. I'm just being cautious. Wouldn't you be a little defensive if someone got up and left you every time… oh," Luke paused, realizing what was about to come out of his mouth. "Sorry, I forgot you were kinda going through the same thing."

They shared an awkward laugh. "It's okay." She hoped that she sounded convincing, because she wasn't convincing herself.


End file.
